Adam Johnson’s death: Matt Petgrave’s former coach doubts his innocence

Adam Johnson’s death has really sent a chill down the spine of the entire hockey world, and indeed the world in general.

To see a player die as a result of an injury sustained during a professional game is truly horrifying, all the more so when it’s an injury as excruciating as Adam Johnson’s.

The tragic death of the former Pittsburgh Penguins player has sparked a number of debates on social networks, including the issue of hockey players wearing neck protectors.

Many want to see the NHL follow the WHL’s lead and make neck protectors mandatory.

However, this is not the biggest debate in the public arena right now concerning the death of Adam Johnson.

Indeed, many are still wondering whether it was a simple accident or a potential homicide.

The debate was revived when a man was arrested for manslaughter a few days ago.

That man who was arrested is most likely Matt Petgrave, the player who hit Adam Johnson in the neck with his skate.

So there’s clearly some doubt.

In fact, that doubt was recently amplified when Matt Petgrave’s former coach said he had serious doubts about Petgrave’s innocence.

Indeed, Elmo Aittola, who was Petgrave’s assistant coach with HK Spisska Nova Ves in the Slovak league during the 2021-2022 season, had some pretty blunt things to say.

“I coached Matt for a very short time. I wanted to get rid of him immediately. I had a very bad impression of him. He has no respect for himself or his opponents.” – Elmo Aittola

These are already very disparaging remarks towards Petgrave, and they give us a rather negative perspective of the person he is, which can clearly make us more doubtful about his intentions when he skated at Adam Johnson.

Aittola added a few other comments as well.

“He used to make a mess of things. He’s a very dirty player. If there’s a player I’m willing to believe can use a skate to hit an opponent, I think Matt Petgrave can do it. He’s an extremely reckless player.” Elmo Aittola

In short, it’s clear that Aittola really didn’t have a good impression of Petgrave when he coached him.

These aren’t direct accusations, but let’s just say they’re close.

In short, Petgrave’s potential court case will be one to watch very closely.

En Rafale

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